Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to the fields of safety systems aimed at preventing, suppressing, or otherwise mitigating hazards associated with the use, storage or transportation of hazardous substances such as fossil fuels, acids, bases, bio-hazards and such like.
There have been some patents that seek to address the issue of prevention and/or fighting of some of the hazards aforementioned. U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,533 discloses a system of preventing and suppressing fires and explosions by displacing oxygen in the ullage space in fuel tanks with inert gas to a level that inhibits combustion in the fuel tank. U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,190 on the other hand discloses a method of preventing explosions in closed tanks by filling the ullage space with oxygen-excluding (and electronegative) gas. U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,379 discloses the use of CO2 refrigerant in a vehicle air conditioning system (plus N2 and argon) to fight/prevent fire in a vehicle upon occurrence of a collision.
The aforementioned patents however seek to address only the danger posed by combustible fuels and not other hazards. They also do not address the explosion hazard arising from the rupture of a vehicular fuel tank during a collision. U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,379 would provide little help where the fuel has seeped out of the tank and thus readily amenable to ignition, the occurrence of which may rapidly culminate in an explosion of the remaining fuel in the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,541 discloses a device to rapidly suppress gasoline fuel fires which are started as a result of the rupture of a military vehicle fuel tank by amour-piercing projectiles. This device, by its spirit and terms, is actuated by enemy projectile (ostensibly in war conditions) penetrating panels with pressurized suppressants into the fuel tank. Its usefulness in civilian/peacetime scenarios is thus doubtful U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,466 discloses an improved variable displacement fuel tank for an aircraft. It however hardly addresses, nor is geared towards the safety concerns of this invention. It is moreover complex in application and inapplicable for deployment in the myriad of scenarios set out herein.
The Disabler and Storage System for Hazardous Substances (xe2x80x9cthe Disabler Systemxe2x80x9d) is a revolutionary system aimed at attacking the scourge of explosive fires or other such hazards before they occur. Many vehicular accidents, plane crashes, train collisions etc involving fossil fuel engines or the transportation of explosive or otherwise hazardous material have a heightened measure of danger because of the risk of fire, explosion, environmental pollution and such like. Thus in the event of such an accident, though the victims may survive the primary impact, the real threat (and usual occurrence thereof) of, say, an explosion, pales the fact of surviving the primary impact into oblivion.
It is an object of the invention to xe2x80x9cincapacitatexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdisablexe2x80x9d (alter to become non-combustive/non-explosive) the fuel in the fuel tanks of fossil fuel (or other type fuel) driven vehicles, at the same time as, split seconds after, or in some situations before, such a vehicle is involved in a mishap (or determined to be set on course for such) that places the fuel in danger of combusting outside the design of that system, whether within the tank, or through seepage, outside the tank.
It is another object of this invention to xe2x80x9cneutralizexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdisablexe2x80x9d (alter to eradicate power to cause undesirable effect) hazardous materials (fuels, solid, liquid and gaseus compounds or elements held in storage or being transported) where their storage or transportation system or facility is impacted such that their exists an unreasonably high possibility that the hazardous material may leak, explode, corrode, pollute, burn or otherwise extract an undersirable effect in that circumstance.
It is another object of this invention to xe2x80x9cneutralizexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdisablexe2x80x9d (alter to eradicate power to cause undesirable effect) hazardous materials (fuels, solid, liquid and gaseous compounds or elements held in storage or being transported) where their storage or transportation system or facility is impacted such that there exists an unreasonably high possibility that the hazardous material may leak, explode, corrode, pollute, burn or otherwise exact an undesirable effect in that circumstance.
It is yet another object of this invention, by one of its preferred embodiments, to eliminate the presence of (dangerous) flammable vapors in the ullage of tanks containing combustible fuels.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The Disabler System is modifiable to be of relevance in an astounding and almost unbelievable range of applications. To name but a few, it is amenable to deployment in motorbikes, cars, trains, airplanes, fuel or hazardous materials transporters and storage facilities etc.